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A Plain English Internet Glossary

Wondering what a particular Internet term means? You'll find many of the most common terms defined below. This is not a comprehensive glossary: if you need a definition for a term that's not listed, please feel free to e-mail me and I'll attempt to help you personally, or check the select list of alternative glossaries at the bottom of this page.

A
Active Server Pages	World Wide Web pages that contain either Visual Basic or Jscript program code. When a browser requests an ASP page, the Web server generates an HTML page on the fly and sends it back to the browser.
ActiveX	A technology which provides tools for linking desktop applications to the World Wide Web. ActiveX controls are small programs which can be run by Web browsers.
ADSL	Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A technology which supports high-speed data connections.
applet	A diminutive of 'application' or 'app'. An applet is a small, single-function program.
Archie	A rather antiquated program which lets you search for files on the Internet.
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B
backbone	The main network connections on the Internet.
bandwidth	The amount of data that can be transmitted over a network connection at any one time.
baseband	Digital data transmission in which each wire carries one signal at a time. Computer communications generally uses baseband transmission.
BBS Bulletin Board System	An electronic message center. You can dial into a BBS, view messages left by others and leave your own messages and replies. Standalone bulletin board systems have been largely supplanted by Web-based boards.
bps	Bits per second, the standard measure of data transmission speeds.
broadband	Digital data transmissions in which each wire can carry several signals simultaneously. Cable TV is an example of broadband transmission.
broadcast	To send the same information to more than one receiver simultaneously. Used both in e-mail and fax systems.
browser	Short for Web browser, a software application used to locate and display Web pages.
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C
cable modem	A modem which operates over cable TV lines, providing high transmission rates.
CDF	Channel Definition Format. Developed by Microsoft, CDF allows Web developers to create push content. For some time, 'push' was the next darling technology; but it failed to live up to its promise.
CGI	Common Gateway Interface. CGI programs allow Web servers to interact dynamically with users. For example, when you type information into a form on a Web page, a CGI program can be used to process and store the information you enter.
cookie	A message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file called cookie.txt on the user's hard disk. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and to prepare customised Web pages for them.
cyberspace	The non-physical world created within computer systems. When you're connected to the Internet, for example, you are 'in cyberspace'.
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D
Dial-up connection	A widely-used method of connecting to the Internet. A dial-up connection uses regular phone lines to connect one computer to another via modem.
DNS	Domain Name System, an Internet service which converts domain names into IP addresses. Humans use domain names on the Internet (such as www.microsoft.com) because they're easy to remember; but the actual computer addresses for computer systems on the Internet consists of strings of numbers, called IP addresses. The DNS converts the address you type into an IP address.
domain name	A name that identifies an IP address, such as www.rivernetwork.org or www.pcuser.com.au. Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which top-level domain it belongs to. Top-level domains include com, org, edu, net, gov, mil and the various country domains (such as au for Australian sites).
download	To copy information from a remote computer to your computer. When you connect to the Web, you're constantly downloading Web pages and files to your computer system.
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E
e-mail	Electronic mail. Messages exchanged between users on a network.
e-mail address	A unique name that identifies an e-mail recipient. E-mail addresses take the form username@hostname. An example is pcuser@acp.com.au, which is pronounced pcuser at acp dot com dot a-u. Note that e-mail addresses, unlike URLs (Internet addresses), are not case sensitive.
emoticon	Emotion icon (also known as a smiley), used in e-mail and online conversations to convey tone and mood along with the words. Emoticons consist of a series of punctuation characters that depict an emotion, usually evident when you tilt your head to the left to look at the emoticon. The most famous emoticon is the smiley: :-) which indicates the writer is happy or their tone is jocular.
Eudora	A popular e-mail program.
extranet	An intranet that is partially accessible to authorised outsiders.
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F
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions (pronounced fak). Documents which give the answers to commonly asked questions about a particular topic. When investigating a new area of the Internet, it always pays to first check any relevant FAQs before asking questions.
finger	A Unix program which lets you find out information about the owner of an e-mail address. The finger lets you know if the user is currently logged on, and on some systems will tell you the user's real name, the time and date of the last time they were connected, and other information which the user has made available about themselves.
firewall	A system designed to prevent unauthorised access to or from a private network or computer.
flame	A vicious e-mail message or newsgroup posting which the author attacks another online participant for some real or imagined transgression.
FTP	File Transfer Protocol. A method for transmitting files across the Internet. Often called Anonymous FTP, because users are given restricted access to other computers without being required to identify themselves before downloading files.
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G
GIF	Graphics Interchange Format. A graphics file format used extensively on the Internet because it uses compression to minimise the size, and hence the download time, of the images.
gopher	An early database system used to store information on the Internet. Information in gopher servers (called gopher space) can be retrieved using search tools such as Veronica and Jughead.
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H
home page	The main page of a Web site.
host	A computer attached directly to the Internet. Users on client machines can connect to hosts to transfer information.
HTML	Hypertext Markup Language, the authoring language used to create documents on the World Wide Web.
HTTP	HyperText Transfer Protocol, the underlying method used to format and transmit information on the World Wide Web.
hyperlink	An element (piece of text, graphic image) in a document that links to another place in the same document or to an entirely different document. When you click on a hyperlink, the link's destination is displayed.
hypermedia	The combination of hypertext and multimedia elements (sound, video, graphics) in an online document.
hypertext	Text that allows embedded links to other documents. Clicking on a hypertext link displays the destination text or document. The World Wide Web is made up of hypertext documents.
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I
Internet	A global network of computer networks, allowing communication and information exchange.
Internet address	See URL.
intranet	A Web site or group of Web sites belonging to an organisation and accessible only to the organisation's employees or those authorised.
IP	Internet Protocol. A protocol which specifies the format of packets of information (also known as datagrams) and the addressing scheme used to send the packets across a network. IP is usually combined with another protocol, TCP, which is used to establish a virtual connection between the source of the information and the packet's destination.
IP Address	Internet Protocol Address. Every resource on a TCP/IP network (such as the Internet) has a unique, 32-bit identifying address, written as four numbers separated by full stops ('dots'). The Internet uses a system of registered IP addresses, called Internet addresses, to avoid duplicates.
IRC	Internet Relay Chat. A system for online conversations.
ISDN	Integrated Services Digital Network. A technology which transmits voice, video and data over digital telephone lines. Most ISDN lines provide two lines at once, called B channels, each offering transmission rates of 64 Kbps. You can use one line for voice and the other for data, or use both lines for data to boost your data transmission to 128 Kbps.
ISP	Internet Service Provider. ISPs maintain a dedicated communication line to the Internet; users dial in to the ISP, which then connects them to the Internet via a (hopefully) high-speed dedicated communications line.
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J
Java	A general purpose programming language designed for compactness and simplicity, making it well suited for use on the World Wide Web. Small Java applications, called applets, can be downloaded from a Web server and run on your computer by a Java-compatible Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.
JavaBeans	Javabeans are small reusable software objects created in Java.
JavaScript	A scripting language which shares many of the features of Java, and which can be used to add dynamic content to Web sites.
JPG	A graphics file format which can compress graphics to a fraction of their size. JPG uses 'lossy compression', which means that the higher the degree of compression, the more detail is lost from the image. JPG images are frequently used on Web pages because their small size reduces download time.
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K
Kbps	Kilobits per second – thousands of bits per second. A measure of data transfer speed.
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L
link	A dynamic reference to another document (or another part of the current document). Clicking a link will connect you to the destination document.
listserv	An automated mailing list server.
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M
mailing list	A list of e-mail addresses grouped together under a single name. Any e-mail sent to the mailing list address is automatically forwarded to all the addresses (the subscribers) on the list. Mailing lists are used to share information between people with common interests.
mailing list server	A server that manages mailing lists for groups of users.
Majordomo	An automated mailing list server.
Mbone	Multicast backbone. An extension to the Internet designed to support two-way transmission of data between multiple sites.
Mbps	Megabits per second – millions of bits per second. A measure of data transfer speed.
MIME	Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. Internet e-mail systems can normally only handle plain, unformatted text. MIME is a specification which allows formatted messages, sound, graphics, audio and video files to be sent over the Internet as e-mail. Web browsers also support various MIME types, allowing them to display files that are not in HTML format.
mirror site	A site which contains an exact replica of the contents of another site. Due to the popularity of some sites, mirrors are created to reduce congestion when many people try to access them at the same time.
modem	Modulator-demodulator. A modem is used to transmit digital data (from your computer) across analogue phone lines. When you send information from your computer, the modem at your end converts the digital data to analogue form. At the receiving end, another modem reconverts the data into digital form and passes it to the remote computer.
multicast	To transmit a message to a select group of recipients. Contrast this with broadcasting, which involves sending a message to everyone connected to a network.
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N
netiquette	Etiquette guidelines for behaviour on the Internet, in particular with regard to posting messages to newsgroups and e-mail.
network	Two or more computer systems linked together.
newbie	A new user on the Internet or an online service. Often used derogatorily.
newsgroup	An online discussion group on a particular topic.
newsreader	An application that lets you read and reply to messages posted on Internet newsgroups.
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O
offline	Disconnected from a computer communications system.
online	Connected to a computer communications system.
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P
packet	A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network. A packet contains not only data but also its destination address on the network.
packet switching	A means of transmitting information in which each message is divided into packets before being sent. Each packet is transmitted individually, and packets from the same message can follow different routes to the destination. Once all the packets forming a message arrive at the destination, they are recompiled into the original message. The Internet is a packet switching network.
PING	Packet Internet Gopher. A program used to time the response of an Internet connection. A PING sends a request to an Internet host and waits for a reply (called a PONG).
POP	Post Office Protocol. A protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server. There are three versions: POP, POP2 and the most recent, POP3.
PoP	Point of Presence, a location where you can get dial-up access to a network. ISPs often provide many PoPs so users can gain Internet access with a local call, instead of having to call their ISP long distance.
post	To place a message on a newsgroup or BBS.
PPP	Point-to-Point Protocol. One of the most popular methods for dial-up connections to the Internet.
protocol	A set of rules which allows different parts of a computer network to 'talk' to one another. Because the Internet consists of an incredibly varied collection of hardware, it uses a whole series of protocols which enable the diverse parts to talk to one another. In technical terms, a protocol contains a formal description of the message formats and rules two computers must adopt in order to exchange information.
public-domain software	Any program that is not copyrighted, and is thus available for free use by anyone. (Note that 'freeware' is copyrighted software that is free.)
push	Information which is sent without being requested. Generally on the Web, information is 'pulled'; that is, it is requested from a Web server by the user's browser. Push information is sent directly to a user's screen without the need for a specific request. Once you subscribe to a push service, customised information will be downloaded to your computer automatically.
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R
remote access	The ability to log onto a network from a distant location.
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S
search engine	A program that searches pages on the Internet for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents containing the keywords.
SET	Secure Electronic Transactions. A developing standard that will make credit card transactions on the Internet as secure as ordinary offline transactions.
shareware	Software which you can try out without payment. If you continue to use the software, you are honour-bound to pay the author the requested fee.
Shocked	A Web page which incorporates Macromedia's Shockwave technology. Shocked pages can contain animation, interactive elements and sound.
SLIP	Serial Line Internet Protocol, a method for dial-up connection to the Internet. SLIP is older and simpler than PPP. Unlike PPP, SLIP can't work on a local area network.
SMTP	Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. SMTP transfers mail from server to server; users then use POP to transfer their messages from the server to their own ('client') computer.
S/MIME	Secure/MIME, a new version of MIME that supports message encryption.
snail mail	Normal postal mail. So called because of its general sloth in comparison to e-mail, which is often delivered within seconds.
spam	Electronic junk mail.
spider	A program that automatically fetches Web pages. Spiders are used to deliver pages to search engines, which then use an indexing program to process the pages.
SSL	Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL is used by many businesses for commercial online transactions, including online shopping. Web pages that require an SSL connection have addresses starting with https: instead of http:.
streaming	A technique for transferring data so that the data can be displayed (or played, if it is a music file) as it is transmitted, without the need for the whole file to first be downloaded. Streaming is most often used with 'rich data' such as sound, video and animation, which take up a lot of space and thus take a long time to transfer.
surf	To move from place to place on the Internet, usually using a Web browser.
sysop	System Operator. Someone who manages a BBS or online service.
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T
T1	A dedicated phone connection supporting high speed transmission up to 1.54 Mbps. A T-1 line consists of 24 individual channels, each with a capacity of 64 Kbps.
T3	A dedicated phone connection supporting high speed transmission up to 45 Mbps. A T-3 line consists of 672 individual channels, each with a capacity of 64 Kbps.
TCP/IP	Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, the collection of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet. TCP/IP uses several protocols, the two main ones being TCP and IP.
Telnet	An application that lets you log on remotely to a Unix computer, and act as if you're working from a terminal connected directly to the computer. You need a valid username and password to connect to a computer in this way.
thread	A message and all its replies in an online discussion.
traffic	The amount of information being handled by a communications system. During times of heavy traffic on the Internet, you'll notice your connections slow.
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U
Unix	A popular multi-user, multitasking operating system developed at Bell Labs in the early 1970s, on which much of the Internet was built.
upload	To send information from your computer to a remote computer.
URL	Uniform Resource Locator, the address used to identify documents and other resources on the Internet. URLs consist of two parts, the first denoting which protocol to use to transfer the document and the second specifying the IP address or domain name of where the resource is located. For example, addresses beginning with http:// use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol for transmission – the default protocol for the World Wide Web, Addresses beginning with ftp:// use the File Transfer Protocol for transmission. For instance: ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/iesetup.exe is the address of an executable file (iesetup.exe) at Microsoft's domain, which is downloadable using FTP. Here's another: http://www.pcuser.com.au This is the address of the home page at Australian PC User magazine's World Wide Web site which is downloadable using the HTTP protocol.
Usenet	A collection of several thousand online discussion groups, accessible by newsreader software. The Usenet groups are a subset of the various newsgroups available on the Internet.
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V
VBScript	Visual Basic Scripting Edition, a simplified version of Microsoft's Visual Basic language, supported by the Internet Explorer browser. It enables Web designers to include interactive controls on their pages.
Veronica	A search engine which lets you search all gopher sites for files and directories.
VRML	Virtual Reality Modeling Language, a specification for displaying 3-dimensional objects on the World Wide Web.
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W
W3	Shorthand for World Wide Web.
Web page	A document on the World Wide Web.
Web server	A computer that stores Web pages and delivers them to Web browsers on request.
Web site	A location on the World Wide Web, consisting of at least one page (the home page) and possibly many pages.
webcasting	Broadcasting information via the World Wide Web. Instead of surfing to a site, webcast material is pushed directly to users screens.
whois	An Internet program that lets you obtain information about an Internet domain or host.
World Wide Web	A collection of online documents stored on Internet servers around the globe. The documents are written in a language called HTML that supports links to other documents. Users can view the documents using a Web browser, and can jump from document to document by clicking on the links contained in the documents. The Web is only a part of the Internet – some Internet servers perform functions other than being Web servers. For example, mail servers store and handle e-mail; news servers store and handle newsgroups.
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	© 2002, Rose Vines

Some alternative glossaries:

Internet Literacy Consultants' Glossary of Internet Terms
This is a concise, fairly comprehensive glossary.

Netglos
A basic multi-lingual Internet glossary (in Chinese, Dutch/Flemish, English, German, Greek, French, Hebrew, Italian, Maori, Norwegian, Portuguese and Spanish).

Marketing Manager's Plain English Internet Glossary
This glossary gives an interesting twist, defining the Internet from a marketer's perspective. Thus you'll find some terms and concepts not mentioned elsewhere, such as 'e-mail bomb' and 'copyright on the Web.'

CNet's Glossary
CNet's glossary is beautifully written. While it focusses on the Internet, you'll find other computing terms covered as well.

Amazon Honor System
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